Southside Alive! '88 South Side Carnival Hopes To Create Unity

SouthSide Alive '88 has the things fun carnivals are made of - rides, games and plenty to eat and drink.

But what makes this event extraordinary is its purpose of trying to pull together a community.

The three-day carnival, which began yesterday and continues through tomorrow at Broughal Middle School, is an attempt to unify Bethlehem's South Side.

The organizers - the South Side Merchants Association, Lehigh University's fraternities and sororities and South Side non-profit organizations - tried to get the event off the ground for three years and finally did so this year when a site and insurance were secured.

"The original conception was to get the South Side community and the Lehigh fraternities together,"said Jeff Eichman, president of the Interfraternity Council (IFC). "Making money (for charity) was secondary."

Steve Lyons of the IFC added that fraternity members wanted a project to improve relations between them and South Side residents and businesses. Instead, the project became a bit bigger and organizers have hopes of unifying the South Side as a whole.

As for the business community, organizer John Saraceno of Saraceno and Sayre Graphics said the groups have had good relations, and early indications are that the carnival will be a success. He said that efforts by City Council and Mayor Ken Smith in rehabilitating the South Side have initiated a more positive spirit in the area. Events like SouthSide Alive can only help promote that feeling through interaction, he said.

Organizers believe they offer plenty of entertainment, but have already set their sights on next year, Saraceno said. They are working toward events and a theme for SouthSide Alive '89.

Proceeds will benefit South Side charities.

Tonight's entertainment includes The Black Experience, featuring the Luther Randolph Trio playing jazz at 5; Harley Newman, daredevil and clown, at 6:30; Mario Acerra's Show Biz Revue at 7; and Styve, a New York blues and funk dance party, at 9.